Milwaukee Bucks Hire Doc Rivers After Terminating Adrian Griffin

Although the basketball season was going well and they compiled a record of 30-13, the Milwaukee Bucks terminated their head coach, Adrian Griffin.

The NBA team announced on Tuesday, Jan. 23 that they have fired Griffin and had elevated assistant coach Joe Prunty to take the reins of the team. But, that was only until they reportedly hired their next head coach, former New York Knicks player, Doc Rivers.

“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

The Milwaukee Bucks are currently No.2 in the Eastern Conference.

Less than 24 hours after the firing of Griffin, the Bucks have reportedly hired Rivers, who is a former NBA Coach of the Year.

Milwaukee Bucks are hiring Doc Rivers to be the franchise’s next head coach, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/UMeQ7bTK4d

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 24, 2024

Milwaukee hired Griffin last summer to take over the reins from longtime coach Mike Budenholzer. He was let go after the Bucks underachieved in the playoffs and lost in the first round. Months after his hire, the team pulled off a trade to obtain Damian Lillard. The team gave no reason for letting him go after a great season start.

Now, the pressure is on Rivers who won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08. The longtime coach was fired from coaching the Philadelphia 76ers last season after winning 50 games for the past two years. The team’s failure to get to the NBA Finals after losing the semifinals for three straight years sealed Rivers’ fate. Until yesterday, Rivers was working as an analyst.

His next win will tie him with Larry Brown for the number eight spot for NBA coaching wins. He has also coached for the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic, compiling a win-loss record of 1,097-763 in the regular season. His playoff record is 111-104.

Milwaukee Bucks Hire Doc Rivers After Terminating Adrian Griffin After 43 Games